Regenerative Agriculture Is All Over the Agenda at Climate Week NYC. But What Does It Mean?

Regenerative beef. Regenerative breakfast cereal. Even regenerative whiskey.

Americans can now choose from a huge variety of foods and potables that producers claim are grown or raised with regenerative methods, which promise to improve soil and reduce climate impacts.

As it turns out, you may not be able to drink or eat your way to climate absolution—at least not without understanding what, exactly, is regenerative and what is not.

The term has become a ubiquitous buzzword, increasingly deployed on marketing labels in recent years. But it can mean almost anything a producer or marketer wants it to. Federal agencies that oversee the food industry, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), have not officially weighed in. • ICN Weekl